Page 3. Creation and the Māori world view

Often a mythological creation tradition is so compelling
that it can influence all aspects of life. In this way
customs, practices and institutions can become an expression
of a culture’s foundation story. Many aspects of the Māori
world view are influenced by the essential elements of the
Māori creation narrative.

A model for behaviour

Creation stories give people a way of looking at their
world. These stories tell us about individuals acting in
particular ways and securing their position in the world.
They stand, therefore, as a model for individual and
collective behaviour and aspirations. Legendary heroes act as
exemplars of human potential. By capturing the sun, entering
the underworld, or fishing up an island, Māui represents the
character of the individual who can bring about change and
development in a community. The ascent of Tāne through the 12
heavens to obtain the baskets of knowledge symbolises an
individual striving toward insight and understanding.

Creation and the oral tradition

Many Māori creation traditions use symbols of childbirth,
the growth of trees, thought, energy and the fertile earth to
convey the idea of constant, repeated creation. These symbols
convey the idea of a world in a state of perpetual
‘becoming’. This idea is a key aspect of the traditional
Māori world view.

Pūrākau (mythological traditions) are statements about the
nature of the world, and their repetition echoes the creation
story. Every time creation whakapapa (genealogies) and kōrero
(stories) are recounted, the world is ritually
‘recreated’.

Many of the gods who represent the divine character or
spirit of an aspect of the natural world, such as Rongomātāne
of cultivated foods, are included in a genealogical chart,
the recitation of which establishes a fundamental
relationship between humans and the natural world.

The pōwhiri ritual

The dawn of creation

Carved meeting houses are opened in dawn ceremonies
because they represent the world created by the separation
of Rangi and Papa. The arrival of the sun at dawn
symbolises the creation of the world of light.

In many societies and cultures, mythic stories form the
basis of rituals. The pōwhiri (welcome ceremony), which is
conducted on marae, has its basis in
Māori creation stories and traditions. The ritual guides
participants from Pō, a state of darkness upon the marae
itself (hence, pōwhiri) to Ao, the state of lightness and
resolution. This latter state – referred to as Te Ao Mārama
(the world of light) – is represented by the structure of the
carved meeting house as an image of the world. The roof
represents Ranginui (the sky) and the floor represents
Papatūānuku (the earth). The posts of the house represent
those that Tāne used to separate earth and sky, and the
carving above the doorway represents Hine, the custodian of
the threshold between night and day, darkness and light. The
pōwhiri ritual is a process where participants move from one
state to another, re-enacting the mythological creation of
the world.